Florida · verified 2026-10-30
Bright Futures SAT score
Florida Bright Futures takes a 1340 SAT for Florida Academic Scholars, which covers 100% of tuition and applicable fees, or a 1210 for Florida Medallion Scholars, which covers 75%. Both also need a weighted GPA in the required coursework and service or work hours.
The bars are not level
At Florida Medallion Scholars, the ACT route is 1 point softer.
Florida asks 1210 on the SAT for that tier. The published concordance puts a 1210 at a 25 ACT — but Florida’s own ACT bar is a 24. Same tier, same money, 1 point of daylight. A 24 is the 80th percentile.
Raise my ACT score to a 29+ →Free to start, no card.
Both tiers, both tests
| Tier | SAT | ACT | GPA | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Academic Scholars (FAS)100 volunteer service hours or 100 paid work hours | 1340 | 29 | 3.5 | 100% of tuition and applicable fees |
| Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS)75 volunteer service hours or 100 paid work hours | 1210 | 24 | 3.0 | 75% of tuition and applicable fees |
The GPA, which is not the one on your report card
Bright Futures uses a weighted GPA calculated on the required college-preparatory coursework, not your whole transcript. Academic Scholars needs a 3.5 and Medallion a 3.0 on that calculation, so a student whose overall average clears the bar can still fall short on the Bright Futures figure, and the reverse happens too.
Hours matter as much as the number: 100 volunteer service hours or 100 paid work hours for Academic Scholars, 75 or 100 for Medallion. They are a hard requirement, not a tiebreaker.
Bright Futures SAT questions
What SAT score do you need for Bright Futures?
A 1340 SAT for Florida Academic Scholars, which covers 100% of tuition and applicable fees, or a 1210 for Florida Medallion Scholars, which covers 75%. Both also require a minimum weighted GPA in the required coursework — 3.5 for Academic and 3.0 for Medallion — plus service or paid work hours.
Is the SAT or the ACT easier for Bright Futures?
They are not equivalent at every tier. Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) asks for a 1210 SAT, which the published concordance places at a 25 ACT — but Florida's own ACT bar for that tier is a 24. On that tier the ACT route is 1 point softer than the SAT route. Take whichever test you score better on, but know the bars are not level.
What GPA do you need for Bright Futures?
A 3.5 weighted GPA in the required coursework for Florida Academic Scholars and a 3.0 for Florida Medallion Scholars. The GPA is calculated on the required college-preparatory courses rather than your whole transcript, so it is not the number on your report card.
Does Bright Futures superscore the SAT?
Florida takes best section scores across administrations for the SAT and a best composite from a single sitting for the ACT. That asymmetry favours the SAT for anyone retaking, and it is the detail families most often get wrong — confirm the current rule with the Florida Department of Education before relying on it.
Thresholds as published for 2026-27 graduates; Florida reviews them annually, so confirm against the Florida Department of Education before relying on them. SAT and ACT equivalents come from the Guide to the 2018 ACT/SAT Concordance, published 2018 by ACT and the College Board, jointly. A published threshold is not an offer.